Mounting for overhead lighting fixtures



Dec. 5, 1950 2,532,528

E. A. ZULEY MOUNTING FOR OVERHEAD LIGHTING FIXTURES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 13, 1947 IN VENTOR EDWARD A. ZULEY 6%, 3-4., AMA/4+ 4/42 ATTORNEYS Dec. 5, 1950 E. A. ZULEY MOUNTING FOR OVERHEAD LIGHTING FIXTURES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 13, 1947 INVE'NTOR EDWARD A. ZULEY. 631., A wawaga A TTORNIEYS Patented Dec. 5, 1950 MOUNTING FOR OVERHEAD LIGHTING FIXTURES Edward A. Zuley, Chicago, 111., assignor to Leader Electric Manufacturing Corporation, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application September 13, 1947, Serial No. 773,821

Claims.

The present invention pertains generally to electric lighting fixtures and more particularly to a novel mounting for an overhead lighting fixture.

In recent years, many new types of overhead fixtures have been developed and used commercially on rather a wide scale. A substantial number of such units, however, are larger and heavier than older fixtures of the same class. This is particularly true of modern fluorescent units which must of necessity be sufiicinetly large to accommodate one or more elongated tubular lamps and in addition, must house the relatively heavy electrical ballasting units for such lamps.

Concurrently with increases in the size and weight of overhead fixtures, the problem of installing them has become more complicated than it formerly was. For example, the installation of an ordinary overhead fluorescent fixture commonly requires the services of two individuals, one to support the fixture and the other to make the electrical connections. With a unit of this sort, it is exceedingly difiicult for one man to perform both of these functions unassisted and still retain his equilibrium upon a ladder or scaiiold. Furthermore, even if this obstacle be overcome, there is the ever-present danger of dropping the fixture or damaging the electrical leads thereof by allowing them to support all or part of its weight.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a mounting for an overhead lighting fixture which will make possible the installation of the same by a single individual without assistance from others and without danger of dropping or otherwise damaging the fixture.

Another object is to provide a mounting of the foregoing type which will be equally suitable for direct attachment to an overhead outlet box or, alternatively, for use with hanger means dependably supported from a ceiling or other rigid overhead structure.

A further object is to provide a mountingfor an overhead lighting fixture including novel means for alining the same with the dimensions of a room or with other-similar fixtures in the room.

Still another object is to provide a lighting fixture mounting of the foregoing character and which will readily lend itself to economical manufacture out of simple sheet metal stampings.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the following description is presented, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary 2 lighting fixture having mounting means embodying the present invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary transverse sectional view through the fixture of Fig. 1 and. taken in the plane of the line 2-2.

Fig. 3 is a view corresponding to that of Fig. 2 but showing the fixture in a pendulous condition.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view illustrating an intermediate step in the installation of the fixture immediately prior to latching same in place.

Fig. 5 is a perspective View of one of the double suspension hooks.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary horizontal sectional View through one end of the mounting means of the fixture of Fig. 1.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary vertical sectional View through that portion of the fixture shown in Fig. 6 and taken in the plane of the line 1-1.

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view through Fig. 2 and taken in the plane of the line 8-8.

While the invention is susceptible of various modifications and alternative constructions, a preferred embodiment has been shown in the drawings and will be herein described in some detail, but it is to be understood that there is no intention to limit the invention to the specific form disclosed, the intention being, on the contrary, to cover all modifications and alternative constructions falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

Referring to Fig. 1, an exemplary embodiment of the invention is there shown in the form of an overhead fluorescent unit or luminaire II]. In the present instance, the unit III is attached to supporting means such as a pair of hollow, depending stems II secured to a ceiling or other permanent overhead structure. Rigidly attached adjacent the lower extremities of the stems I I, as by positioning nuts I2, I4, is a fixture holder It in the form of an oblong mounting plate Ii, the marginal edge portions of its longer and shorter sides being bent downwardly as at I8 and i9 respectively (shown in detail in Fig. 4).

etachably supported by the holder I6 is a fluorescent lighting fixture 20 comprising an elongate hood or canopy 2| and an appropriate reflector 22. Electric power is connected to the fixture via leads 23 which run downwardly through one of of the hollow stems I I.

The fixture holder I5 is preferably fabricated as a sheet metalstamping, the sides I8, I 9 thereof being downwardly bent as an incident to the stamping operation. In order to add rigidity and improve the appearance of the holder, its sides may be rigidly secured together at their ends as by welding to define corners. As the drawings indicate, the holder plate I! may be provided with one or more knock-out plugs 24 to accommodate various arrangements of supporting stems and also to permit the entry of electrical wiring into the fixture.

The hood 2! of the fixture may be given an almost infinite number of shapes depending upon 7 the design and usage of the latter and in some cases may even be unitary with the reflector and formed from the same piece of sheet metal. In the embodiment illustrated, however, the hood 2! assumes the shape of an elongate inverted-trough of slightly greater width than the fixture holder i5 and of comparable length, to, the; reflector 22 with which it is associated. Because of its size and shape, the hood 2| is well adapted to house one or more of the ballasting units for the fluorescent-lamps of the fixture.

The reflector 22', like the hood, is fashioned in the. shape of an inverted trough, being dimensioned in, accordance with the number and. distribution of the lamps contained in the fixture 20. For the purposeof obtaining increased structura-i rigidity and preventing endwise leakage of light, the reflector has attached to its ends a pair ofend caps 25.. l

Means isprovided for detachably suspending the fixture 26 in a substantially level, pendulous condition below the holder it, thus permitting installation of the former by one individual withoutassistance and with little danger of dropping the same or damaging any of. the electrical wiring associated with it. Referring to Figs. 2, 3, and 5, it will beobserved that this is accomplished in the present instance by, hanging the fixture 26 from the holder 1 5- through the useof suspension hooks 2.6. As indicated in the drawings,- eachof the hooks 2.6- is double and comprises a central caring portion 28 terminating at its ends ina pairof spaced-apart arms generally perpendicular thereto. The latter aremade sufficiently long to allow-an adequate working space between the fixture'and the-holder, thus facilitating the.

making of proper electrical connections during in-,- stallation. Appropriate bearing surfaces for the central portions; of each hook are provided in the. holder It, allowing the hook 25' to be swingably and dependably supported-by the mounting plate. For thispurpose, the oblong plate H has two pairs of, holes located adjacent one of the longer holder sides It, one such pair of holes being disposed near either end of theplate. of metal between each pair of holes is struck inwardly to form an upwardly concave cradle lug Zdfor receiving the bearing portion 28 of each hook, the holes adjacent each cradle lug being of sufficientsize to permit the hook arms to pass freely therethrough. Preferably, the free ends of the lugs 29 are welded or otherwise securely attached to the underside of the plate as at 30 to increase the strength of the hook suspension.

At their depending ends, the hook armsare rc,

verse-bent through an arc in the neighborhood of 189 degrees to form spaced-apart hook portions. Ihe latter are adapted to engage correspondingly spaced sets of. eyelet holes Si in a pair of upstanding hanger tabs 32v which are unitary with the upper surface of the hoodZi and so located that the weight moments of the fixture are approximately equal on either side of. such Thus the fixture when suspended from the tabs. 7 ab te s to. n ubs n i l ev l- The web With the arrangement described, the weight of the fixture 28 may be readily transferred to the holder It by turning the former on its side though an angle of about degrees, for example, and bringing the ends of the hooks 26 into registry with the holes 3| of the hanger tabs. This action may be facilitated by simultaneously pushing the fixture horizontally againstthe hooks, swinging the latter outwardly until they abut the adjacent holder side l8 which positively precludes further outward swinging movement. Just as the fixture 28 must be turned on its side through a sizeable angle to engage the same with the hooks 25, so must it be turned through a comparable angle for disengagement therefrom. Since the normal tendency of the fixture is to hang level, and the foregoing angle is considerably greater than that which can be expected from accidental tilting, the above hook suspension is relatively foolproof.

Provision is made for bringing the fixture 20, or more specifically the hood lt; into rigid abutment with the underedges of the holder sides It, it, without disengagingthe suspension means. To this end, the arms .of each of. the hookszfi'are fashioned with lateral offsets 34,.the latter serving to divide. "each arm into an upper portion at-aria a lower portion 38. disposed at a small f' angle thereto. Not only may the fixture 2G beswung up; wardly from the. position. of Fig. 3 toithat of Fig. 4 Without disengaging. the hooks 28 from the hanger tabs 32, butin addition, 'the latter. serve: as positive interlocks against the hook ends and actually prevent. disengagement of the samedurihgsuchmovement. Furthermore, this construction makes it possible. for the fixture to be displaced in a horizontal plane from the position of Fig. i to that of Fig. 2.withoi1t interference or binding between thehooks 26andthe tabs 32, the lower portions 38. of the hookfarm merely lying flat against the upper surface of the. hood 2i and slidingireely thereonwhile remaining en gaged with the eyelet holes. Consequently, upon disassembly of the'unit lflby even an. unskilled 7 individual, there is no danger of having the fixture suddenly drop to the floor or fall upon the.

party attempting to.service'it.

' Turning once more to Figs. 1 andfhand'to Fig '7, itwill be noted that 'theunit H3 includes suitable latching means for maintaining'the fixture in abutment with the underedges of the holder sides 18,. i9, whilepermitting relative sliding motion between. the holder and the fixture This isaccomplis hed'in'the present instance by the use fof an interenga'ging', tongue and tab arrangement;

Accordingly, the twiollonger holder sides [9 are each formedwith a pair. of laterally, spaced, horizontally extending tongues 39. By the. same token, the upper surface of the hood 2! is formed with two pairs oif similarly spaced, horizontally offset latching tabs. at which are, adapted to cooperatewith the tongues 35, the parts preferably going. together with a snug sliding fitas indicated inni i'i. Incorporated into the mounting of the illustrative unit Hlis appropriate locking means for preventing the disengagement of the latching, arrangement describedabove while allowing, to aconsiderableextent, horizontal adjustment of the.

fixture 28 relative to the holderv l6. To achieve this, the latter is equipped with adjustable set screws 4| extending laterally into the same through holes in one of its longer sides. It. lhe

holes are spaced in accordance with thespacing.

of th sus n i nh ks the sc e s ei suspension means and to bring the former into I alinement with the dimensions of a room or into parallelism with one or more in a series of similar fixtures. Furthermore, the foregoing adjustment can be made in a matter of seconds and without distortion of the overhead suspension means which is commonly done during the installation of ordinary fixtures.

Although the steps in the installation of the unit It! will probably be already apparent to one skilled in the art, it might be helpful to outline them briefly at this point. Assuming that a rigid overhead support has been provided and that the depending mounting stems H have been attached thereto with electrical wiringrunning downwardly through either of the stems. The knockout plugs in the fixture holder plate ll having a spacing corresponding to that of the stems l may then be removed and the holder H5 firmly mounted on the latter by means of the positioning nuts l2 and M. With the holder in place, the hooks 28 will hang swingably below the same ready to receive the fixture '26. The next step consists of turning the fixture on its side through the proper angle to permit engagement between the ends of the hooks 26 and the eyelet holes 3! of the hanger tabs, such engagement taking place as soon as the hook ends and the holes 3| have been brought into registration.

When this has been done, the fixture may be released, whereupon it will hang in a pendulous and approximately level condition below the holder It as indicated in Fig, 3. With the fixture thus suspended, the electrical connections and preliminary tests may then be made. Upon completion of this step, the fixture may be swung upwardly upon the hooks 2% until the upper surface of the hood 2| abuts the underedges of the holder sides I8, l9, with the fixture in a laterally displaced position relative to the holder as illustrated in Fig. 4. The fixture may then be slid horizontally from the laterally displaced position to a centered position relative to the holder, the weight of the fixture being progressively transferred to the latching means which finally becomes securely engaged. At this point the looking screws 4| may be brought into'threaded engagement with the ferrules i l. The final step consists of adjusting the screws M to aline the fixture in a horizontal plane, which can be done readily by the use of a screwdriver.

I claim as my invention:

1. A mounting for an overhead lighting fixture comprising the combination of a holder including a mounting plate adapted for attachment to a rigid overhead support, said holder also being adapted to receive electrical wiring for the fixture, hook means for detachably hanging the fixture from said holder in a pendulous and approximately level condition but displaced below the same to provide easy access to the electrical wiring for the fixture, said hook means also permitting said fixture to be swung upward thereon and into abutment with said holder, latching means for maintaining said fixture in abutting relationship (iii 6. with said holder while allowing horizontal sliding movement between the former and. thelatter without disengagement, of said hook means, and locking means for precluding disengagement of said latching means while permitting adjustment of said fixture in a horizontal plane and relative to said holder. 2. A mounting for an overhead lighting fixture comprising, in combination, a holder adapted for attachment to a rigid overhead support,

hook means for. detachably suspending the fixture from said holder with the former hanging in a pendulous and substantially level condition below the latter, said hook means also permitting the fixture to be swung upward thereon and into abutment with said holder, latching means for maintaining the fixture in abutting relationship with said holder but allowing relative sliding movement between the former and the latter without disconnection of said hook means, and locking means for preventing disengagement of said latching means by precluding said relative sliding movement between said fixture and said holder.

3. A mounting for an overhead lighting fixture having a hood and a reflector and comprising the combination of a holder including a mounting plate and depending sides, said holder being adapted for attachment to a rigid overhead support and also to receive electrical Wiring for the fixture, suspension hooks for detachably hanging the fixture from said holder in a pendulous and approximately level condition a sufiicient distance below the same to provide ready access to the electrical wiring for the fixture, said hooks also permitting said fixture to be swung upward thereon and into abutment with the underedges of said holder sides, latching means for maintaining said fixture in abutting relationship with said holder sides while allowing horizontal sliding movement therebetween without disengagement of said hooks, and locking means for precluding disengagement of said latching means while permitting adjustment of said fixture in 3 a horizontal planeand relative to said holder sides.

4. In a mounting for an overhead lighting fixture having an elongate hood and a reflector, the combination comprising a fixture holder including a mounting plate and depending sides, double suspension hooks swingably and dependably supported by said mounting plate for detachably hanging the fixture below the same but allowing said hood to be brought into abutment with said holder sides, laterally spaced tongues extending horizontally from one pair of said holder sides, horizontally offset latching tabs on the upper surface of said hook for cooperatively engaging said tongues and thus maintaining said hood in abutting relationship with said holder sides while allowing relative horizontal movement between the former and the latter, and adjustable screw means disposed between said holder and said hood for precluding disengagement of said tongues and latching tabs but permitting adjustment in a horizontal plane of said fixture relative to said holder.

5. In a mounting for an overhead lighting fixture having a hood and upstanding hanger tabs hood, asa cid. hooks permitting the hood rto 'bB brought into abutment with said holder sides. latehing means {or maintaining said hood in abutting engagement with said "holder while aidlowing relative horizontal movement betwen "the former and the latter, set screws :rotatabiy mounted in one of said holder sides-but secured therein against axial displacement, and internal- 1y threaded ferrules carried -by said hanger tabs for cooperative engagement with said set screws, the latter and said ferrules when threaded together serving to prevent disengagement of said latching -means but permitting adjustment in a horizontal piane of said fixture relative to said holder.

EDWARD A.

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